Unlike past decades when acceptance by a traditional publishing house was required to put one's book to print, writers today can access the services of dozens of companies to assist with all aspects of the process.

Local dentist and author Dr. Lundon Albrecht chose the publishing services provider Xlibris when looking to get his book "I'm Not Just a Penny" off the ground.

His initial goal of working with Scholastic Inc., a large publisher and distributor of children's books, was bumped to the back burner after contacting the company and receiving the response -- "Unless you've published you can't publish with us."

Advertisement

They also recommended that he work with an agent.

"But just to land an agent is tricky," Albrecht said. "It takes a lot of time and unless you're familiar with the writing industry it's tough. Literary agents get thousands of queries a week."

Major differences between working with traditional companies as opposed to independent ones include the direction in which the money flows.

The former normally fronts money to authors for their work while the latter requires payment from writers for services rendered.

Albrecht, who lives in Perry Township and works with the Albrecht Family Dentistry group in Mentor, said he's happy with his decision to use Xlibris.

After contacting the company he was set up with a person to guide him through the process. He noted that "the self-published author has pretty much the say on how they want things to look" though they may work with an illustrator and receive pertinent information and advice.

After some months of collaboration, Albrecht approved the final draft.

"Basically ... they'll send you a copy of the book," he said. "You open up your package and see your book. This story idea you've had for years has come to life. That was probably the coolest part for me."

Albrecht said he never considered authorship during his dentistry studies at Ohio State University. But then came an interesting turn of events when his 18-month-old son actually swallowed a penny. He decided the saga would be the makings for a good book.

Since its release in November, Albrecht has visited about 20 area schools reading the story to youngsters and talking to them about writing books.

He noted that teachers often weave history and creative writing lessons around the children's tome.

Once "I'm Not Just a Penny" becomes a little more familiar with reading audiences he plans to present it to Scholastic, Inc. for hopeful publication.

His advice to those considering publishing their work?

"If you believe in your book and your story then do it," he said. "If you don't do it I feel you'll always regret it."

Alynn Mahle of Mentor is in the process of searching for the right company to help get her book "Cooking Fresh: Healthy Eats from the West Side Market" into print. Publishing a book of poems in 2000 has provided her with some experience.

One tip that she offers is to begin marketing long before the book is complete.

"Talk to everyone -- friends, family, co-workers," she said. "Read books about publishing and marketing. Create professional-looking business cards, stationery, postcards with a central theme -- the cover of the book is an ideal image."

She also advises creating a blog, website or a Facebook page for the book and to contact local bookstores and gift shops that may have a connection to your book topic. Ask appropriate venues if they would accommodate a book signing. Libraries often are willing to allow authors to sell and sign books in conjunction with an author talk, she said.

Milann Daugherty of Silver Lake worked with an editor and graphic designer at Word Association Publishers to produce her book, "Your Affectionate Son -- Letters from a Civil War Soldier."

"So few people are able to send a manuscript off to a regular publishing house without getting pink slips back," she said. "The odds are pretty much against you. I think if people want to publish, you pretty much have to pay someone. You have to be realistic."

Ruth Fawcett of Timberlake formed her own publishing company, Ambrosia Press LLC, in 2003 to begin publishing her "Praise for the Poore Pond" series.

"By default, I found myself helping other authors self-publish by acting as part publisher, part consultant -- my own version of publishing assistance which just evolved," she said.

Fawcett also joined the Independent Book Publishers' Association which she claims was "literally a roadmap" for her company in terms of advice on markets, technology, policy, writing, cover designing and other topics.

Fawcett's advice to authors is to set aside a fund of $3,000 to $4,000 and start educating yourself in terms of publishing options.

Christina Wilkinson of Mentor, author of "Bicentennial Barns of Ohio, said much has changed since the book was published in 2003.

"Online publishing sites make it much easier to produce a quality book at a reasonable price, but if you have photographs, the equation changes," she said. "My book was a series of interviews, accompanied by color photographs. I created my own company, hired an editor, a graphic designer, a book manufacturer, and then sought fulfillment services. It was a long, tedious process, but the book looked as good as any that was professionally published."

The number of self-published books produced annually in the U.S. has nearly tripled, growing 287 percent since 2006, and now tallies more than 235,000 print and "e" titles, according to an analysis of data from Bowker Books In Print and Bowker Identifier Services.

The research also revealed that while production increases are occurring in both print and e-book formats, the latter is driving the greatest percentage gains.

Some traditional companies such as Simon & Schuster have realized the growth of the self-publishing business and are launching their own services. Their new company, Archway, will offer various publishing packages.

"Some people really want to have full control over their project, or they select a topic that publishers do not consider in vogue," Wilkinson said. "If they cannot interest a traditional publisher in their manuscript, and are still determined to turn their work into a book, then self-publishing may be the right choice.

She added that before making the decision to self-publish, a writer should give serious consideration to the amount of time they have to spend on the effort, and also think about their goals. Doing research and networking with other authors to hear of their personal experiences also can prove helpful.

What is self-publishing?

Self-publishing will be defined differently depending on whom you ask. According to people who work in traditional publishing houses, authors who pay for their editing, formatting or cover design are self-publishing their work. The book is traditionally published only if the publishing expenses are paid by the publisher. However, this often excludes marketing services.

Self-publishing independently

In the purest sense, self-publishing occurs when an author handles the entire book publication process, including printing, distribution, and marketing. Author execution of all details during the self-publishing process is also commonly called independent publishing.

The author either has the skill set to carry out the book publishing step, such as book formatting, or employs professionals to complete the process for them. The author largely creates his or her own self-publishing experience, rather than purchasing a company's services.

Authors who publish with the help of a self-publishing company are also self-publishing. This is because the author is financing the majority of the publishing process. There are many different self-publishing companies available to authors who want to self-publish.

Some self-publishing companies offer publishing services to authors who are unable or would rather not deal with the details of the publishing process.

In this instance, the author pays the self-publishing company to handle the publishing process for them.

Examples of services commonly provided include International Standard Book Number assignment, book cover design, interior layout, editing, distribution and marketing. Some self-publishers are designed only to get the book printed, while others mimic traditional publishing houses and provide a full set of publishing and marketing services.

The key to choosing a self-publishing company is doing your research. Generally the self-publishing company that can offer all, or most, of your publishing and marketing services adds cohesion to your final product. Choose a self-publishing company (or a person in the business) you trust and let them guide you.

Print-on-demand self-publishing

Some kinds of self-publishers specialize in print-on-demand (POD) and commonly work specifically with authors who need very small quantities of printed books.